Percello helps SOC it to femtocells

BROADENING OUT from its expertise in the 3G handset chip business, Percello, has struck a strategic deal with leading femtocell software house, Ubiquisys.

The result is what's claimed to be the first ever femtocell SOC (System On a Chip), the PRC6000. Samples should be with potential customers by Q2 2009 with mass production by Q1 2010.

The deal is especially good news for Ubiquisys as it was previously dependent on just one supplier for silicon: Picochip. Ubiquisys' products are found in both residential gateways and enterprise routers from the likes of Netgear.

Although the suppliers hate us calling femtocells a basestation in your living room, that's essentially what they are. They take a high speed mobile broadband link and share it amongst 3G devices.

What Percello brings to the party is the potential for a higher number of simultaneous sharers - 16 as opposed to eight. Plus those 16 could all be making phone calls without impacting the shared broadband data link.

And Percello's Shlomo Gadot reckons that the PRC600 will eventually be capable of delivering a 21.6 Mbit/s downlink and 5.76 Mbit/s uplink. Not that any 3G network the INQ knows of offers above 7.2 Mbit/s yet.

Percello's handset chip expertise has resulted in the PRC6000 being low power and compact which also translates into less heat.

The important point, according to Ubiquisys's Will Frank, is the introduction of the PRC6000 will help reduce BOM [Bill Of Materials] costs - reducing the price of femtocell gateways to mobile operators and then ultimately the consumer.

If you consider that a femtocell could enable three users - either with 3G phones or 3G enabled laptops - to share a single 21.6 Mbit/s connexion - giving them 7.2 Mbit/s each - where's the need for fixed broadband? µ